Medtech Stories

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From Rachel Robbins, Senior Vice President at Greenough Brand Storytellers

Medical robots pick up steam in the hospital and the lab

The power and potential of medical robots are quickly becoming a reality. From disinfecting hospital rooms to delivering patients linens and lunch to helping patients through rehab, medical robots show no signs of slowing down. Currently, hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. are employing robots—that’s expected to grow by 20% over the next 5 years. Patients are also experiencing the direct effects of medical robots in the lab, as 50% more tests can be carried out every year using robots, meaning patients can receive treatment faster. And, the future use is even more exciting, as medical robots will eventually help patients put on their hospital gowns or slippers, keep them company in their rooms and even perform CPR.

The medical technology industry is becoming more and more focused on improving patient outcomes through patient experience, safety, monitoring and engagement. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that one of the biggest AI healthcare trends is patient-centered care. AI continues to emerge as a valuable approach to clinical decision-making and improving the patient-provider relationship; however, we’re also seeing patients become more involved in their own care through at-home health apps and technology for accessing health records at home. As we heard from Terence Mills in his Forbes article, The Top AI Healthcare Trends of 2019, “the public is more willing than ever to participate in the healthcare cycle, and artificial intelligence is driving that trend forward.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that, beginning in 2020, it will give Medicare patients better access to medical devices. In the new rule, CMS said that it would also pay more for “certain transformative new devices” and increase payments for the devices from 50% of the device cost to 65%. This is quite significant as, currently, medical technology manufacturers need to “demonstrate that their devices offer a substantial clinical improvement” in order to be reimbursed. Under the new rule, CMS “acknowledged that these new devices may not have had time to demonstrate ‘fully developed’ substantial clinical improvement,” however can still qualify for higher payments.

Facebook and Elon Musk recently unveiled plans to “merge people with AI” by connecting human brains with computers and mobile devices. While Musk’s company Neuralink is taking a more invasive approach by using neural implants that directly touch the brain, Facebook is researching more non-invasive approaches, such as detecting brain activity by monitoring oxygen levels in the brain using a wearable device. (The ultimate, future goal being to do this through VR headsets or AR glasses). Regardless, both companies are working toward something incredible – helping people with brain damage or conditions such as ALS communicate in ways their body no longer allows them to do, whether this be controlling mobile devices through their brain waves or decoding words and phrases from the brain in real-time.

Check out more about Facebook’s announcement here and Elon Musk’s announcement here.